Talk:Girl Meets the New Year/@comment-27356959-20151218052645/@comment-26999065-20151221091948
My belief that Farkle was "clueless" in regards to human interrelations was mostly from his lack of experience, and a personality that even suggested he might be autistic, and he's repeatedly admitted he doesn't understand these feelings or know for sure how others feel. I don't mean to really suggest he's absolutely clueless, but only relatively clueless - that is, well behind the curve in comparison to his friends - (though probably better at it than Smackle.) Yeah, Farkle's Choice is perhaps my favorite episode (that, and the Tell Tale Tot). There is a depth to his involvement with those two girls. I mean, just because of stuff like that, I instantly dismissed the very notion he might be autistic when they first suggested it. I knew he wasn't, and it turns out I was right. But he's not exactly Mr. emotionally understanding, either. Any insight in Riley and Maya's emotions comes from intense observations of those two over a period of 6 or 7 years. If asked what some other girls were feeling about this or that, I'm fairly sure Farkle wouldn't have a clue or couldn't make a decent guess since he doesn't know about girls in general - much like his friends in the geek squad, they're mildly afraid of girls and so avoid them. If it seems like in Farkle's Choice he's more emotionally perceptive than elsewhere, I'd chalk that inconsistency up to the writers wanting different things for a story at different times. Hmm. I actually felt Farkle and Smackle could go the distance. She's high functioning for somebody with Asperger's syndrome, perhaps even smarter than Farkle, has similar interests, and she adores him (she has for years, but couldn't admit it). There might come a reason why it wouldn't work out, but for now and without being given a reason - I think it could. One possible reason it might not work out could be, for example, that Farkle wants kids (11 of them) - and maybe Smackle wouldn't want any, let alone 11. I'm sure Farkle could be convinced to have a more reasonable number of kids, but zero? That could be a deal breaker and lead to a break up later in life. Another might be that Farkle exhibits a trait where he seems to enjoy being abused or pushed around or ordered about by domineering women. I'm wondering if his mother treats Stuart like that and Farkle thinks of that as affection. Latest example - you dragged me up the stairs and I LIKED IT! My point - Izzy may not want to treat him like that, and Farkle may feel she doesn't love him then. Yeah, I think Smackle would make it difficult for Farkle to give the emotional support a brokenhearted Riley would need - beyond being a friend. That is, Riley won't find comfort in Farkle's arms, so to speak. If you're suggesting Farkle and Riley might end up together, while possible, I think it unlikely. Riley (and Maya) have actually set a minimum standard for acceptable boy friend material, and that is Farkle - never accept anything less than Farkle. But that's the minimum. But both obviously are shooting for something, well, not "higher" or "more" so much as a better fit. Does Lucas really know how he feels well enough to say? He's confused too, but mostly he knows he likes Riley, but BAM - she suddenly wants him only as a brother and she's pushing Maya on him. If he can't have Riley, Maya is not a bad alternative - he does like her - but I think he's coming to realize he's jealous of Charlie's affections toward Riley, and he and Maya don't really have romantic passion for one another. But I'm not going to blame Lucas for not confessing his love for Riley. Is it love? At 15, what do they know? Last time they tried to make it official, it was awkward and uncomfortable. How anxious are they to repeat that experience? Neither was really ready to take it to the next level. Maybe they are now, or will be soon, but until they are ready, confessing love is a bit premature, so I won't be blaming Lucas for not saying how he feels. If Farkle hadn't told the truth, others may not be mad at him, but he would be mad at himself. And if things blew up, he'd feel just awful since he didn't do anything about it when he had the chance - he let his friend go down a path he knew to be wrong, and allowed another friend to be deceived while doing so, and potentially screw up a third friend since Riley was acting on what Farkle believed to be erroneous assumptions about how Maya feels about Lucas. Wrong, wrong, wrong. In that way, Harper was right. Oh, Farkle wouldn't die from keeping the secret, but it could be potentially bad for him as well as his friends. He had to be true to himself, if nothing else, and if he wants to be friends with them, he's going to need them to be honest with him and one another. Otherwise - the group of friends is doomed. This is not a science experiment. He's not running a test and doesn't have the need to not interfere with the test subjects so the results are scientifically meaningful. And this wasn't just Riley's truth - it involved others - the group of friends. I would say that logic dictated he not remain neutral - any more than he should remain silent if he saw danger heading toward somebody. Of course not - he'd shout out a warning. Hey Mister! You should have watched out for that car! Yeah?